A Friend Indeed
by Lady aracne
Summary: Written for "Bert the Hippo CHallenge at NFA" Abby is in a lot of trouble, but at least she is not alone. very slightly McAbby, I can't help it! enjoy!


"So what are you doing for the weekend Probie-San?" Tony asked leaning over McGee's work station smiling like a Cheshire cat, as he always did.

"I am staying home writing Tony. My publisher is driving me crazy. I am so behind, she is actually threatening bodily harm." Tim answered looking up from his computer.

"I can't imagine her doing such a thing McGee."

"Well she did. How about you Tony? Any hot dates?"

"As shocking as this may sound Probie, no I don't, I am actually going for dinner with my aunt, Giovanna DiNozzo."

"You have an Aunt called Giovanna?" Tim asked surprised.

"She is a sweet old lady, visiting from Italy; I can't leave her on her own." Tony said starting to walk away.

Tim smiled to himself and returned to work, just as Ziva and Gibbs walked in to the bull pen.

"Leave that McGee. Go home. That goes for you too Ziva." Gibbs said grabbing his coffee cup.

"I'm leaving in a few seconds, Boss." Tim answered.

"Me too Gibbs" Ziva said smiling "I am so tired, I think I will just sleep the whole weekend" she added.

"Well, it seems it is going to be a quiet few days for us."

Several floors down, heavy rock music blasted from the forensics lab.

--

Abby Sciuto sang at the top of her lungs along with the latest hit from her favorite rock group, Brain Matter. She was in no hurry to go home. There were no parties, concerts, or charity rallies to attend, so she was catching up with work from the other NCIS teams.

Gibbs' team always got priority on her book, but for the moment they were out of open cases, and probably already home. She smiled at the thought. They had closed a very hinky case, they deserved a good uneventful weekend.

Her gaze came to rest on his stuffed hippo, Bert.

"You know Bert? I always work best at night, everything is quiet and I can concentrate better." She said looking adoringly at her stuffed toy. Bert the Hippo was the owner of a very special spot on the beautiful Goth's heart, she had been with her from her early childhood all the way to her teenage years and into her adult life.

Still singing Abby continued to punch the keys of her keyboard well into the night.

--

Three o'clock in the morning found Tim typing on his vintage typing machine , Jethro his German Shepherd peacefully sleeping at his feet was his only company; after a long unproductive writing week his muse had finally decided to pay him a visit and the words just flew from his fingers as page after page piled next to his pipe.

Suddenly his work desk started shaking; every book on his bookcase plummeted down to the floor with a big thundering sound, Jethro got up in a flash and began barking.

"What?? OMG an earth quake!" he quickly grabbed Jethro´s leash and ran down the steps on to the street

--

Ziva thought she was dreaming at first, when her bed started shaking, but something on the back of her brain fired a alarm warning.

She bolted up breathing hard as the shaking increased and the keys of her piano started producing an eerie tune. Without thinking she got up and hurry out of her apartment taking just enough time to grab a jacket and her cell phone.

--

Gibbs enjoyed his time alone with his boat. The _Kelly_ was coming along very nicely, Just a few more months of work and she would be really to sail.

He reached for his box of nails as the shaking started. Puzzled he looked at his cabinets. Everything was rattling, and the tool box made its way to the end of his work table before finally crashing to the floor.

Gibbs waited for the shaking to subside. He was safer inside his welt built basement than anywhere else, an earth quake was a very rare phenomenon but not unheard of, he had just heard about the increase of activity on the Nueva Madrid Fault just a few days before from a friend of his, it was probably an aftershock that hit them. He just hoped nothing mayor had happened.

--

The sound of her lab machines bumping into each other woke Abby up. She had fallen asleep on her work station waiting for a fingerprint comparison to end.

Her head sprang up when she realized everything was shaking around her.

"Oh God, Oh God, Oh God!" she said out loud trying to remember what she had to do in case of earth quake at headquarters.

"Okay, no elevator and no stairs? Yes something like that."

Her mind was reeling because she was so afraid of earth quakes she couldn't think straight. Cracking noises started coming from the upper floors, their volume increasing by the second, Abby stood from her chair, and started for the door leading to the hallway, suddenly everything around her exploded in a cloud of dust and debris.

She screamed and dived under her evidence table as the walls collapsed one after the other bringing the upper floors down.

"Oh God, I am going to die!" she thought as everything turned black.

--

The news of the aftershock effects started pouring into the news almost at once.

Several federal buildings had been damaged including NCIS. Tim felt a heavy weight set on his chest, he had been calling Abby non stop as he made his way towards headquarters, Ziva was right next to him calling Tony who was on his way there as well . Jethro jogged at his side sniffing the air around him nervously

"Any luck?"

"Not yet, please Abbs pick up, pick up!" he told the cellular device on his hand to no avail.

Gibbs had already talked to them and was heading their way too after picking up Ducky. His Morgan had been smashed down by a light post.

--

Abby woke up to find herself surrounded by total darkness; she could taste dust and blood in her mouth, her right leg felt like it was on fire. It was probably broken. She touched it carefully and found that it was bent at an odd angle.

"Oh boy! What am I going to do?"

Fright was coursing all through her body. She was buried alive! It was a miracle she wasn't dead already. Slowly her eyes became more used to the darkness; she was sitting with her back against a wall, or what was left of it; over her head her evidence table was acting as a ceiling of sorts. She could touch it if she put her hands up, so there was no way to stand up. One incredible thing was that air was somehow reaching her, and she prayed nothing shifted and closed that airway.

Abby tried feeling the space around her; it was like a being inside a cement egg, her hands could touch three of her cocoon walls, the "ceiling" and to the sides, suddenly her left hand touched something soft.

"Bert!! Oh Bert!" She said tears starting to fall from her eyes as she hugged her favorite toy, Bert's farting sound resounded inside her cave making her burst into anguish sobs.

She cried for a long time holding to the stuffed hippo for dear life.

"Gibbs will find me! They must already be looking for me. Oh I hope they are all alright. Timmy must be so scared Bert."

She winced in pain.

"My leg hurts Bert, I know it is broken." Abby held Bert before her eyes to see him more clearly; she felt better having someone to talk too, even if it was a toy, a very special one. Her mind returned to her childhood, when she was about 10 years old.

She had been homesick with Hepatitis and bored to dead, the doctor had said 4 weeks in bed; at first it had been fun staying home from school, eating candies, watching TV, reading book after book, but two weeks later she was depressed and moody, yelling at Edward , her six year old brother, not wanting to "talk" to either her mother or father.

And then, one afternoon her daddy had arrived home with a big cardboard box tied up with a huge red ribbon, Edward smiling happily behind him.

He had placed the box on her bed and signed to her his wish to see her smile again. She had been so intrigued she had forgotten to be angry and quickly opened the package.

Inside she'd found Bert all new and shinny. She had always loved hippos and her face had broken into a big smile. But it had been when she picked him up and a farting noise almost made her throw him away that Edward had burst out laughing and she had joined in squeezing Bert time and time again to her father's delight.

Since that day, Bert had always made her smile. And it was no different now. She knew she was in deep trouble, but Abby felt she was not really alone; she had a friend with her.

She breathed deeply and tried to avoid thinking about the searing pain coursing her leg or the enclosing walls around her, the team will find her sooner or later and until then she was going to hold Bert close to her heart and wait.

--

A long time later Tim and Ziva arrived to the Navy Yard, Tony catching up with them at the front security gate.

"Ziva, Probie? Are you two alright?"

"Yes Tony, but we can't reach Abby!" Tim almost yelled

"Maybe she is at a concert, you know she can't hear her phone in those places" Tony said trying to believe it himself while he petted Jethro on the head.

Tim was white as a ghost.

"No Tony, she was going to stay in her lab to catch up with some work for Alexander's team." He said, his voice trembling as he spoke.

"Are you sure McGee?" Ziva asked looking worriedly at the sight appearing before their eyes.

The NCIS building was half destroyed one side of it had caved in while the other one appeared almost untouched. The three of them blanched, the forensics lab was crushed under the weight of the upper floors, the half circle window that allowed light to enter Abby's domain had disappeared.

"Oh my God, Abby!" Tim muttered, Jethro sensing his panic rubbed against his leg whimpering, Tim petted his dog still looking at the devastation, his heart tearing apart.

Around them everything was action, they could see security guard helping their partners out, paramedics starting to work on the injured, people moving big pieces of concrete, and so on.

"DiNozzo, David, McGee!"

Gibbs powerful voice made them return to reality, he was walking like a man possessed towards them, Ducky keeping up with his long strides as well as he could.

"Where's Abby, have you found her yet?" he asked no one in particular.

"We think she is in there" Ziva answered "We are not sure."

Gibbs face lost all color as he turned to look at the building. Without another word he ran towards the rescue teams starting to work in the area, the team plus Ducky and Jehtro followed close behind.

Tim suddenly stopped, so abruptly that even Gibbs looked back.

"What is it McGee?" he barked impatiently.

"Jethro!" Tim said.

"What?" Tony asked looking at the dog besides McGee, Gibbs glaring at him.

"He can find her, I know he can!"

"It's worth a shot Boss. The rescue dogs have not arrived yet" Tony said looking at Gibbs and hoping Tim was right, Ziva nodded encouragingly.

"Let's talk to the one in charge here and we will tell him, come on"

--

Abby had no idea how many hours had gone by, she was getting sleepy, and even the pain in her leg was not bothering her much anymore. She realized it was a dangerous thing, if she let herself go to sleep she wasn't waking up.

Abby shook her head and squeezed Bert again; the comforting sound helped her wake up.

"They will find me; Gibbs, Timmy, Tony and Ziva won't let me die here. Please guys find me!" She pleaded starting to cry again, burying her face on Bert's soft fur.

"Don't be scared Bert, we will get out, they will find us." She whispered as streams of pearly tears made black trails on her beautiful skin.

--

Chief McKenna listened at Gibbs explain where the lab had been located and the certainty of Abby's presence inside.

"We want to help look for her" Tim interrupted earning a head slap from Tony but he didn't acknowledge him. "Jethro can help locate her, he loves her." He almost pleaded pointing to the dog.

"McGee is right Chief, Abby is alive in there every second counts." Gibbs said looking at the Rescue Team leader with all the confidence he could master, he was not even going to consider the possibility of Abby being dead under the rubble and he knew his team felt the same way.

"Alright, but we don't know how unsteady the site is, It might be dangerous."

Tim knew his dog; he was an intelligent animal and would do what he was told. If anyone could find his Abby, it was him.

"Jethro! Look for Abby. Find her boy, find her!" He ordered in a strong voice.

Jethro didn't hesitate as he ran towards the mountain of debris and started sniffing every crack he could put his nose into, Tim continue to repeat the command over and over again to keep him in action.

More than 45 minutes elapsed before the dog started barking like crazy standing over a mountain of broken glass and concrete pieces.

"He found her!" Ziva said tears gathering in the corner of her beautiful eyes.

Everyone sprang into action, but Chief McKenna held them back.

"Let my people do this, you can bring the whole place down on her if you all start removing stones"

"But.." Tim started to say.

"The man is right McGee" Gibbs said putting a comforting hand on his shoulder and trying very hard not to start digging himself, he didn't want to loose another daughter.

Chief McKenna made a sign to his rescue team and every member started to work in perfect synchrony.

Jethro continue to bark on and off as the team advanced painfully slow in everyone's eyes, but they could see that the men working to dig Abby out knew what they were doing, if only they could do it faster.

Hours melted one into the other each moment becoming increasingly difficult for Gibbs' team to remain calm.

An eternity later Jethro barking volume increased 10 fold as one of Chief McKenna's men started to shout from inside the mountain of concrete.

"We found someone, get the paramedics!" he called from the underground tunnel they had digged.

"Hurry, she is in bad shape!" yelled another.

Tim couldn't stay away anymore; he ran past Gibbs and the Chief and kneeled next to the hole made by the rescuers, next to him two paramedics waited with a red basket, like the ones used in high mountain rescue, to transport Abby to the nearest hospital.

Tim almost fell down when he saw one of the rescuers hand a semiconscious Abby to the next one, she was holding Bert to her chest!

"She is alive! She is alive!" He yelled turning to look at his friends' anxious faces, the crowd that had gathered around the site exploded in cheers and applause. Tony hugged Ziva jumping up and down as he did so, Gibbs patted a smiling Ducky on the back; Jethro barked and jumped next to his master his tail wagging furiously.

Abby opened her eyes as she was eased up from the hole and into the paramedics waiting arms, the first thing she saw was Tim face covered in tears.

"I told you they were going to find us Bert" she thought smiling weakly at the young agent who felt his heart swell with happiness.

Next day the whole team plus Ducky waited patiently for the medical report on their forensic scientist's health, they were all exhausted after the events of the previous day.

Abby's primary doctor walked out from her room with a chart in one hand.

"Good morning, I am Dr. Gordon. Miss Sciuto is a very lucky lady, she is going to be fine, her leg was broken in two places, it was a serious fracture but it will heal with time and physical therapy. She has cuts and bruises that will fade in a few days; her emotional state is surprisingly good for someone that has gone through such a terrible ordeal."

They all breathed in relief after hearing the doctor's report.

"You can go see her. Just not all at once please" Dr. Gordon said kindly.

"Thank you doctor" Gibbs said shaking the man's hand.

Ducky and Gibbs went in first, Tim, Tony and Ziva remained outside waiting patiently.

"You go next Probie." Tony said smiling his signature smile "She will want to see you, I am sure."

Tim blushed scarlet earning a round of laughter from his 2 partners and friends.

"It's not a secret McGee, we know how you feel about her." Ziva added between laughs.

Tim just smiled sheepishly at both of them.

Some ten minutes later Gibbs and Ducky returned to the waiting room.

"Abigail wants to see you Timothy" Ducky said smiling at him.

"Thank you Ducky."

Gibbs gave him an amused look, and Tim hurried into the room before anyone started making him blush again.

Abby was half sitting on a bed, her injured leg suspended from a traction device, her back sustained by several pillows. She looked extremely pale, her face hands and arms covered in cuts and bruises, but her eyes were bright and she was smiling broadly to him, he smiled back.

"You scared me Abs" He said sitting on a chair next to her bed "Are you doing okay?"

"I was so scared Timmy, but I knew you guys were going to find me, and I had Bert with me, so I felt I was not really alone in there, and I kept thinking that any moment someone would come and well, when I heard Jethro I knew everything was going to be alright." Abby spoke as always very fast, and that was a very good sign, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Calm down Abbs, you are going to hyperventilate." He said taking her hand and kissing it softly, that alone was enough to silence the over excited Goth making her smile in delight. "So we have to thank Bert here for keeping you company?"

"Of course you have to Timothy, he is my friend!" She pouted

"He is an amazing little creature no doubt, well you know what they say Abs… A friend in need…

"Is a friend indeed…" Abby mumbled as her eyes began to close.

She was safe, she was with friends, and everything was going to be alright.


End file.
